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Guardian Helps Showcase The Big Chill At The Big House

The Big House just got brighter, as permanent light fixtures were installed in late November on top of the new luxury boxes at Michigan Stadium at the University of Michigan.

The glass lenses surrounding the new permanent fixtures is a unique anti-reflective glass developed especially for lighting applications by Auburn Hills-based Guardian Industries. 

Guardian also provided nearly 80 percent of the architectural glass for the stadium upgrade.

Guardian's AR Glass for Lighting maximizes light transmission, allowing lighting designers to achieve maximum performance and energy-efficiency with each luminary fixture. The product also maintains the traditional benefits of environmental and mechanical durability seen with using glass lenses.  It allows for the seamless integration of economical and highly effective lighting, at reducing reflectance, making it the perfect glass for stadiums and arenas.

For the players on the field -- or rink, in this case -- it will allow them to play night games as if it were still daytime.
 
"Glass coatings are a game changer for many applications," said Scott Thomsen, group vice president of North American Flat Glass at Guardian.  "We are especially proud that this project allowed us to showcase Michigan-created and Michigan-made products on one of Michigan's greatest assets. The glass also gives stadium facility managers the opportunity to see first hand the latest advances in the glass industry, to not only help the players in the heart of the action, but to add to the complete athletic experience for all those involved."
 
University of Michigan Athletic Director, Dave Brandon, recently described the light structures to the Associated Press as "elegant." 

"They're very cool," Brandon said. "It's a really clean band of lights running horizontally, as opposed to big ugly poles."

On Saturday, Dec. 11, the lights will light up the largest outdoor hockey match in history, when the Michigan Wolverines take on the Michigan State University Spartans during the Big Chill.  The first home football game under the lights will be next Sept. 10, when Michigan plays Notre Dame.
 
Guardian also provided more than 50,000 square feet of high-performance, energy-saving glass for the façade of the Michigan Stadium, as well as the entrances and some interior applications. Guardian's SunGuard SuperNeutral 54 is a low-E coating for commercial glass that features a neutral appearance, solar control and significant energy savings.
 
Both Guardian products, the AR Glass for Lighting and SunGuard SuperNeutral 54, were developed at the company's Science and Technology Center in Carleton.

For more information on Guardian AR Glass for Lighting and other glass products, visit www.guardian.com and www.sunguardglass.com.
 
Guardian, its subsidiaries and affiliates employ 18,000 people and operate facilities throughout North America, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

(c) 2010, WWJ Newsradio 950. All rights reserved.

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